The invention relates to a sliding and tilting roof for motor vehicles, with a rigid cover which closes a roof opening in its closed position and which is displaceably guided in the vicinity of its leading edge at both lengthwise sides of the roof opening by one guide element in each of two lengthwise guides, is mounted to pivot about a pivot axis determined by the guide elements and running transversely to the cover displacement direction, is linked in an area displaced rearward from the leading edge of the cover by a first pivot mechanism with a transport bridge adjustable in the cover displacement direction, and is pivotable by displacement of the transport bridge, optionally with elevation of its trailing edge above the fixed roof area, or is displaceable beneath the rear fixed roof area after its trailing edge is lowered, as well as with a gutter disposed beneath the trailing edge of the cover, movable within limits relative to the transport bridge in the cover displacement direction, said gutter being displaceable together with the cover beneath the fixed rear roof area.
In a known sliding and tilting roof of this type (German AS No. 2245084, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,767), the gutter is displaceably guided in the tracks running parallel to the lengthwise guides for the cover at a fixed, predetermined distance beneath the rear fixed roof area. It is entrained as the cover is displaced in such fashion that the downwardly tilted trailing edge of the cover fits into corresponding depressions in the bottom of the gutter. When the cover is in the closed position, there is no contact between the gutter and the cover or the fixed roof area.
In another known sliding and tilting roof (German Pat. No. 19 20 481), a transport bridge, which serves simultaneously as a gutter, is provided in the vicinity of the trailing end of the cover, said bridge being raisable and lowerable and so connected with the cover that, when the transport bridge is raised, the cover is lifted into the closed position and, in the lowered condition, with the transport bridge moving horizontally, the cover is moved along with the latter. The pivot mechanism for the cover abuts the transport bridge in order to exert pressure upward when the trailing edge of the cover is raised.
Tolerances are unavoidable in motor vehicle roofs. In particular, there is a practical problem of making the outside contour of the cover match the outside contour of the fixed roof part. This match is particularly sensitive transversely to the cover displacement direction because the cover and the fixed roof area are usually convex in this direction. If the cover, in known roofs, moves from the tilted position to the closed position, the result is frequently an unsatisfactory match between the contours. To offset this, motor vehicle manufacturers must frequently carry out laborious finishing and adjustment work.
Thus, it is a principal object of the present invention to design a sliding and tilting roof of the type described hereinabove, in such a manner that a contour match is achieved in the especially critical area of the trailing edge of the cover and the adjacent trailing edge of the roof opening, in a simple and reliable fashion.
This object is achieved, according to preferred embodiments of the invention, by virtue of the fact that the gutter is connected with the transport bridge by a second pivot mechanism which, when the cover is in the closed position, presses the gutter against the force of the first pivot mechanism upward against the underside of the cover. In the closed position, the forces exerted by the first pivot mechanism act on the cover, attempting to pull the trailing edge of the cover downward, while forces are simultaneously exerted by the second pivot mechanism via the gutter and attempt to push the cover upward in the vicinity of its trailing end. This subjection to two forces can lead to the area of the trailing end of the cover being given a shape which can be determined exactly in advance, when it is in the closed position.
The contour match can be further improved in accordance with another embodiment of the invention by virtue of the fact that the gutter is also pressed against the underside of the fixed rear roof area when the cover is in the closed position.
An especially simple structural solution is obtained where the gutter is articulated to the guides of the cover by lateral pivot arms and is pivotable about the same pivot axis as the cover. According to a modified embodiment of the invention, the gutter can also be articulated by lateral pivot arms to the cover at a point which is displaced rearward and preferably also upward relative to the pivot axis of the cover. This produces an especially flat roof design. The second pivot mechanism can advantageously have slotted guides disposed on either side of the cover, each of which cooperates with a guide pin connected to the transport bridge. The slotted guides can simply be mounted on the pivot arms or can be parts of these pivot arms. According to a kinematic reversal, the second pivot mechanism can have ramps fastened on either side of the transport bridge and guides cooperating therewith mounted on the gutter or its lateral pivot arms.
Preferably, the gutter has a gasket extending essentially transversely to the cover displacement direction, said gasket abutting the underside of the cover when the latter is in the closed position. The second pivot mechanism presses this gasket against the cover over the full width of the cover, whereby penetration of water into the interior of the vehicle is reliably prevented. Such a gasket can, advantageously, abut a point on the underside of the cover which is located at a distance forward of the trailing edge of the cover, when the cover is in the closed position.
For a further improvement of the seal in the rear area of the cover, the gutter can have a gasket that essentially extends transversally to the displacement direction of the cover, said gasket pressing from below against the underside of the rear fixed roof area, at least when the cover is closed, in the vicinity of the trailing edge of the roof opening. The latter gasket can have a segment which enters a gap between the trailing edge of the cover and the trailing edge of the roof opening, when the cover is in the closed position. This gasket can also advantageously be provided with a shoulder, which abuts the trailing edge of the cover from the rear, at least when the cover is in the closed position.
In another embodiment of the invention for a sliding and tilting roof in which the cover and the portion of the rear fixed roof area which abuts the cover from the rear when the cover is in the closed position are curved convexly outward, in a vertical plane which is perpendicular to the cover displacement direction, the gutter is simultaneously convexly curved in a plane such that the curvature of the cover, in the vicinity of its trailing edge, is less than the convexity of the gutter, and the convexity of the rear fixed roof area, in the vicinity of the trailing edge of the roof opening, in turn, is less than the convexity of the trailing edge of the cover. This favors the desirable match of the convexities of the cover and the fixed roof area when the cover is closed. Preferably, the stiffness of the gutter in the plane perpendicular to the cover displacement direction is greater than that of the cover, while the stiffness of the cover, in turn, is greater than that of the rear fixed roof area.